Permitting processing system for a monitoring on demand security system

ABSTRACT

A premises apparatus is provided. The premises apparatus includes a processor configured to: determine that at least one monitoring service is being requested for activation and determine permit data associated with the at least one monitoring service. The processor is father configured to, if the determined permit data indicates at least one permit is required for the at least one monitoring service: transmit a request for at least one permit that is required for activation of the at least one monitoring service and, after transmitting the request for the at least one permit for activation of the at least one monitoring service, activate the at least one monitoring service.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 15/334,962 filed Oct. 26, 2016, entitled“PERMITTING PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR A MONITORING ON DEMAND SECURITYSYSTEM”, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/246,298, filed Oct. 26, 2015, entitled “AUTOMATIC PERMITTINGUPON ACTIVATION OF MONITORING ON DEMAND SECURITY SYSTEM FUNCTION,” theentirety of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to security systems and in particular to asystem for acquiring a permit for a premises alarm system.

BACKGROUND

Popularity of premises systems continues to grow at a rapid pace. Thesepremises systems provide security, life safety, and/or home automationservices to a premises such as a home or building. Installation of thesepremises systems typically involves an installer that visits thepremises to install a control panel and multiple sensors, and to ensurethe control panel can communicate with a monitoring center.

However, installation has gotten more complicated over the past yearsdue in part to the differing requirements in various jurisdictions forpermit(s) in order to install and/or operate certain features of thepremises system. For example, the home owner may be required to acquirea permit for the premises system only if the premises system is going tobe monitored by the monitoring center. Or, it may depend on whetheraspects of the systems are wired, and the electrical specifications ofdevices. Conversely, a permit may be required irrespective of the typeof functionality or services that the premises system is providing.Further adding to the complication, some jurisdictions offer variousalarm permits that are specific to the type of monitoring services to beprovided. For example, one type of permit may be required for monitoringof fire conditions, i.e., a fire alarm permit, while a different permitmay be required for monitoring of security conditions, i.e., a policealarm permit. Each jurisdiction: city, county, state, municipality, etc.may have different permit requirements, thereby making the permitacquisition process even more difficult.

SUMMARY

The present invention advantageously provides a device, method andsystem for acquiring a premises alarm system permit.

According to one embodiment, a premises apparatus is provided. Thepremises apparatus includes a processor configured to: determine that atleast one monitoring service is being requested for activation anddetermine permit data associated with the at least one monitoringservice. The processor is father configured to, if the determined permitdata indicates at least one permit is required for the at least onemonitoring service: transmit a request for at least one permit that isrequired for activation of the at least one monitoring service and aftertransmitting the request for the at least one permit for activation ofthe at least one monitoring service, activate the at least onemonitoring service.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to: cause at least a portion of the determined permit data tobe displayed for acceptance by a user, determine whether a user hasaccepted the determined permit data, and the transmitting of the requestfor the at least one permit being in response to determining that theuser has accepted the determined permit data. According to anotherembodiment of this aspect, the processor is further configured to:determine a location of the premises apparatus, compare the determinedlocation of the premises apparatus with a location stored at premisesapparatus, and if the determined location of the premises apparatus doesnot match with the location stored at premises apparatus, at leasttemporarily deactivate the at least one monitoring service.

According to another embodiment of this aspect, the determined locationof the premises apparatus is determined based on one of an internetprotocol address of the premises apparatus and global positioningcoordinates of the premises apparatus. According to another embodimentof this aspect, the processor is further configured to transmit arequest for at least one permit that is required for activation of theat least one monitoring service at the determined location. According toanother embodiment of this aspect, the request for the at least onepermit that is required for activation of the at least one monitoringservice at the determined location is transmitted to one of a customerassociated with the premises apparatus and a jurisdictional entityassociated with the determined location.

According to another embodiment of this aspect, the at least onemonitoring service includes at least one of fire alarm monitoringservice and security alarm monitoring service. According to anotherembodiment of this aspect, the processor is further configured to:determine whether at least one premises sensor has been installed, theat least one premises sensor being associated with the at least onemonitoring service being requested, and in response to determining theat least one premises sensor associated with the at least one monitoringservice has not been installed, at least delay the activation of the atleast one monitoring service. According to another embodiment of thisaspect, the processor is further configured to: in response todetermining the at least one premises sensor associated with the atleast one monitoring service has not been installed, cause transmissionof at least one notification to at least one user device associated withthe premises apparatus, the notification indicating the at least onepremises sensor that needs to be installed for activation of the atleast one monitoring service. According to another embodiment of thisaspect, the at least one premises sensor is at least one life safetysensor including at least one of a motion sensor, fire sensor, carbonmonoxide sensor, flooding sensor and contact sensor.

According to another embodiment, a method is provided. A determinationis made that at least one monitoring service is being requested foractivation. A determination is made that permit data associated with theat least one monitoring service. If the determined permit data indicatesat least one permit is required for the at least one monitoring service:a request for at least one permit that is required for activation of theat least one monitoring service is transmitted. After transmitting therequest for the at least one permit for activation of the at least onemonitoring service, the at least one monitoring service is activated.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, at least a portion of thedetermined permit data is caused to be displayed for acceptance by auser. A determination is made whether a user has accepted the determinedpermit data. The transmitting of the request for the at least one permitbeing in response to determining that the user has accepted thedetermined permit data. According to another embodiment of this aspect,a location of a premises apparatus is determined. The determinedlocation of the premises apparatus is compared with a stored location ofthe premises apparatus. If the determined location of the premisesapparatus does not match with the stored location of the premisesapparatus, the at least one monitoring service is at least temporarilydeactivated.

According to another embodiment of this aspect, the determined locationof the premises apparatus is determined based on one of an internetprotocol address of the premises apparatus and global positioningcoordinates of the premises apparatus. According to another embodimentof this aspect, a request for at least one permit that is required foractivation of the at least one monitoring service at the determinedlocation is transmitted. According to another embodiment of this aspect,the request for the at least one permit that is required for activationof the at least one monitoring service at the determined location istransmitted to one of a customer associated with the premises apparatusand a jurisdictional entity associated with the determined location.

According to another embodiment of this aspect, the at least onemonitoring service includes at least one of fire alarm monitoringservice and security alarm monitoring service. According to anotherembodiment of this aspect, a determination is made whether at least onepremises sensor has been installed, the at least one premises sensorbeing associated with the at least one monitoring service beingrequested. In response to determining the at least one premises sensorassociated with the at least one monitoring service has not beeninstalled, at least delaying the activation of the at least onemonitoring service. According to another embodiment of this aspect, inresponse to determining the at least one premises sensor associated withthe at least one monitoring service has not been installed, transmissionof at least one notification to at least one user device associated withthe premises apparatus is caused. The notification indicating the atleast one premises sensor that needs to be installed for activation ofthe at least one monitoring service. According to another embodiment ofthis aspect, the at least one premises sensor is at least one lifesafety sensor including at least one of a motion sensor, fire sensor,carbon monoxide sensor, flooding sensor and contact sensor.

According to another embodiment, a premises security system is provided.The premises security system includes at least one sensor and a premisesapparatus. The premises apparatus includes a processor configured to:determine that at least one monitoring service is being requested foractivation, determine a location of the premises apparatus and determinepermit data associated with the at least one monitoring service. Thedetermination of permit data associated with the at least one monitoringservice is based on the determined location of the premises apparatus.The processor is further configured to: if the determined permit dataindicates at least one permit is required for the at least onemonitoring service: transmit a request for at least one permit that isrequired for activation of the at least one monitoring service,determine whether the at least one premises sensor has been installed inthe premises system, the at least one premises sensor being associatedwith the at least one MOD service being requested, and in response todetermining the at least one premises sensor associated with the atleast one MOD service has been installed and after transmitting therequest for the at least one permit for activation of the at least onemonitoring service, activate the at least one MOD service.

According to one embodiment of this aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to: compare the determined location of the premises apparatuswith a stored location of the premises apparatus, and if the determinedlocation of the premises apparatus does not match with the storedlocation of the premises apparatus, at least temporarily inhibitingactivation of the at least one monitoring service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention, and theattendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readilyunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for automatic permitting constructed inaccordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process of a Monitoring-On-Demand (MOD)module for managing the permitting of one or more monitoring services inaccordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary process of another embodiment of aMonitoring-On-Demand (MOD) module for managing the permitting of one ormore MOD services in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary permit acquisition process ofacquisition module in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative process of MOD module for managing thepermitting of one or more MOD services in accordance with the principlesof the invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative permit acquisition process ofacquisition module in accordance with the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A system, apparatus and method for automatically permitting of one ormore services of a premises alarm system are provided and describedherein. In one or more embodiments, the invention advantageouslyacquires one or more permits for one or more monitoring services such asmonitoring-on-demand (MOD) services, thereby helping insure that thepremises system is in compliance with one or morerules/laws/codes/ordinances of one or more jurisdictions. In one or moreembodiments, the system monitors whether a user has requested one ormore MOD services such that a request for permits for the requestedservice is automatically initiated. In one or more embodiments, theinvention advantageously monitors whether one or more required permitshave issued for one or more MOD services associated with a premises, andsends reminders to one or more users and/or devices associated with thepremises if a permit has not issued, thereby helping ensure that theuser submits the required permit application(s)/request(s) for userrequested MOD service(s). These advantages help reduce the occurrence ofpremises systems operating without required permits, which may lead tofines. This arrangement also helps guide the one or more usersassociated with the premises system through the permitting process,which may vary from county to county, city to city and/or state tostate.

An MOD service includes the ability of a customer to separately purchasea monitoring services for a device “on demand” instead of or in additionto purchasing, for example, a conventional security service contractthat includes professional installation and use of security equipment aspart of receiving monitoring of that equipment for a fixed term. Forexample, a device may be purchased at retail by a customer for usesolely by the customer (i.e., “self-monitored”).

Accordingly, the system, apparatus and method components have beenrepresented where appropriate by convention symbols in the drawings,showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understandingthe embodiments of the invention so as not to obscure the disclosurewith details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art having the benefit of the description herein. As used herein,relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” andthe like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element fromanother entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying anyphysical or logical relationship or order between such entities orelements. In embodiments described herein, the joining term, “incommunication with” and “connected to,” and the like, may be used toindicate electrical or data communication, which may be accomplished byphysical contact, induction, electromagnetic radiation, radio signaling,infrared signaling or optical signaling, for example. The above methodsof achieving electrical or data communication are non-limiting andmentioned only for illustration. One having ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that multiple components may interoperate andmodifications and variations are possible of achieving the electricaland data communication.

Referring now to the drawings figures in which like referencedesignators refer to like elements there is shown in FIG. 1 a systemconstructed in accordance with the principles of the invention anddesignated generally as “10.” System 10 may include one or more premisesapparatuses 12 a to 12 n (collectively referred to as “premisesapparatus 12”), one or more networks 14, one or more facilitator servers16, one or more permit distributors 18 and one or more permit databases20.

Premises apparatus 12 is a premises monitoring system such as anall-in-one security system, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) security system, partof a premises security system with sensors and/or premises systems thatis capable of providing security alarm monitoring services and/or homeautomation monitoring services. In one or more embodiments, premisesapparatus 12 includes transmitter 22 and receiver 24 for communicatingdirectly and/or indirectly (e.g., via network 14) with one or moreelements of FIG. 1 such as facilitator server 16, permit distributor 18and/or permit database 20. In one or more embodiments, premisesapparatus 12 communicates with one or more premises devices such assensors, control panels, control devices, images capture devices, lifesafety devices, life style devices and/or other devices. For example,the types of sensors may include various life safety related sensorssuch as motion sensors, fire sensors, carbon monoxide sensors, floodingsensors and contact sensors, among other sensor types that are known inthe art. The control devices may include, for example, one or more lifestyle related devices configured to adjust at least one premises settingsuch as lighting, temperature, energy usage, door lock and powersettings, among other settings associated with the premises or deviceson the premises. Image capture devices may include digital camerasand/or video cameras, among other image capture devices that are wellknown in the art.

Premises apparatus 12 includes one or more input devices 25 forreceiving user inputs. Input devices 25 may include a keyboard,touchscreen, buttons and/or other components/devices for receiving userinputs. Premises apparatus 12 includes one or more processors 26 forperforming the functions described herein with respect to premisesapparatus 12. Premises apparatus includes display 27 for displayinginformation to one or more users. Premises apparatus 12 includes memory28. Memory 28 includes non-volatile and/or volatile storage device(s)capable of storing data including, for example, solid-state memory,optical storage, and magnetic storage. Also, volatile memory may includerandom access memory and others known in the art. In one or moreembodiment, memory 28 stores Monitoring-On-Demand (MOD) module 30. MODmodule 30 includes instructions, which when executed by processor 26,causes processor 26 to perform the processes described herein, such asthe process for managing the permitting of one or more MOD services ofpremises apparatus 12, discussed in detail with reference to FIG. 2. Analternative embodiment of MOD module 30 that performs an alternativeprocess for managing the permitting of one or more MOD services ofpremises apparatus 12 is discussed in detail with respect to FIG. 3. Yetanother alternative embodiment of MOD module 30 that performs analternative process for managing the permitting of one or more MODservices of premises apparatus 12 is discussed in detail with respect toFIG. 5. The one or more modules described herein may be implemented, forexample, in hardware in a processor or as a combination of hardware andsoftware. Programmatic code to implement aspects of the modules,including instructions and functions executed on the one or moreprocessors may be stored in one or more memories. For example,programmatic code to implement aspects of MOD module 30, includinginstructions and functions executed on processor 26 may be stored inmemory 28. Memory 28 may store other data such as user information,premises characteristics, etc. In one or more embodiments, premisesapparatus 12 includes at least one of one or more sirens, one or morecameras and one or more detectors/sensors.

In one or more embodiments, processor 26 and memory 28 form processingcircuitry. In addition to a traditional processor and memory, processingcircuitry may comprise integrated circuitry for processing and/orcontrol, e.g., one or more processors and/or processor cores and/orFPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) and/or ASICs (Application SpecificIntegrated Circuitry). Processor may be configured to access (e.g.,write to and/or reading from) memory 28, which may comprise any kind ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory, e.g., cache and/or buffer memoryand/or RAM (Random Access Memory) and/or ROM (Read-Only Memory) and/oroptical memory and/or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).Such memory 28 may be configured to store code executable by processor26 and/or other data, e.g., data pertaining to communication, e.g.,configuration and/or address data of devices, etc. Processing circuitrymay be configured to control any of the methods and/or processesdescribed herein and/or to cause such methods and/or processes to beperformed, e.g., by premises apparatus 12.

System 10 includes one or more networks 14. Network 14 may be theInternet, wide area network, local area network, wireless local networkand metropolitan area network, among other networks known in the art.Network 14 provides communications between one or more elementsillustrated in FIG. 1, such as communication between premises apparatus12 and facilitator server 16. Facilitator server 16 includes one or moretransmitters 32 and one or more receivers 34 for communicating directlyand/or indirectly (e.g., via network 14) with one or more elements ofFIG. 1. Facilitator server 16 includes one or more processors 36 and oneor more memories 38 that substantially correspond to like elements ofpremises apparatus 12 with size, performance and function varyingdepending on implementation details. In one or more embodiments, memory38 is configured to store acquisition module 40 that performs the permitacquisition process, discussed in detail with respect to FIG. 4. Analternative embodiment of acquisition module 40 that performs analternative acquisition process is discussed in detail with respect toFIG. 6. In one or more embodiments, processor 36 and memory 38 formprocessing circuitry. In addition to a traditional processor and memory,processing circuitry may comprise integrated circuitry for processingand/or control, e.g., one or more processors and/or processor coresand/or FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array) and/or ASICs (ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuitry). Processor may be configured to access(e.g., write to and/or reading from) memory 38, which may comprise anykind of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory, e.g., cache and/or buffermemory and/or RAM (Random Access Memory) and/or ROM (Read-Only Memory)and/or optical memory and/or EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-OnlyMemory). Such memory 38 may be configured to store code executable byprocessor 36 and/or other data, e.g., data pertaining to communication,e.g., configuration and/or address data of devices, etc. Processingcircuitry may be configured to control any of the methods and/orprocesses described herein and/or to cause such methods and/or processesto be performed, e.g., by facilitator server 16.

Of note, although FIG. 1 and the discussion herein refers to MOD module30 and acquisition module 40 in terms of software stored in a memory(memory 28 and memory 38, respectively) and executed by a processor, thedisclosure is not limited to such. It is contemplated that MOD module 30and acquisition module 40 can be implemented solely in hardware, such asvia an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable gatearray (PGA) or some other combination of logic elements and/orcircuitry. Further, although facilitator server 16 and premisesapparatus 12 are shown in FIG. 1 as provided self-contained units,implementations are not limited to such. It is contemplated that thefeatures and functions of facilitator server 16 and premises apparatus12 can be distributed among different physical devices and locations.For example, functions of the acquisition module 40 can be distributedamong several servers and computing devices in a single location oracross network 14.

System 10 includes one or more permit distributors 18. In one or moreembodiments, permit distributor 18 is an entity that functions to issueone or more permits for one or more MOD services of premises apparatus12. For example, permit distributor may be a governmental, county and/orcity affiliated entity that accepts permit applications for permitapparatus 12 and/or one or more MOD services, and determines whether toissue the permit(s) based on the submitted permit application(s). In oneor more embodiments, permit distributor 18 transmits an electronicversion of the issued permit(s) to permit database 20, facilitatorserver 16 and/or premises apparatus 12 in response to issuing thepermit(s) and/or in response to an update request. System 10 includesone or more permit databases 20. Permit database 20 is configured tostore permit data, premises data, issued permits data, MOD services dataand/or other information associated with permitting of one or more MODservices for one or more premises.

An exemplary process of MOD module 30 for managing the permitting of oneor more monitoring services of premises apparatus 12 is illustrated inFIG. 2. Processor 26 determines that at least one monitoring service isbeing requested for activation (Block S100). In one or more embodiments,premises apparatus 12 may be a DIY premises system that allows a user todynamically activate one or more monitoring services such as MODservices during installation or at a later time during premisesapparatus 12 operation. For example, a user may not initially beinterested in one or more monitoring services that require one or morepermits such that the premises apparatus 12 initially operates withoutrequired permits, i.e., the activated functionality does not requirepermits. However, later in time, the user may decide to activate one ormore monitoring services such as fire alarm monitoring that requires apermit. The request to activate one or more monitoring services may beperformed via input device 25, via a web browser interface offacilitator server 16 or premises apparatus 12, and/or other methodsthat allow premises apparatus 12 to determine whether the request hasbeen made by the user associated with premises apparatus 12. Forexample, processor 26 determines the user has requested a monitoringservice, e.g., fire alarm monitoring and/or security alarm monitoring,via input device 25 in which the monitoring service requires one or morepermits. Various techniques for authenticating a user and determining auser's permissions to use or perform a function are known and are beyondthe scope of this disclosure.

In one or more embodiments, premises apparatus 12 downloads data thatdesignates one or more monitoring services that require permits forlocation of the premises apparatus 12. For example, premises apparatus12 may download data from facilitator server 16, permit distributorand/or permit database 20, among other information sources. Premisesapparatus 12 may determine its location via methods known in the artsuch as through global positioning system (GPS), and/or may determineits location based on user inputs via input device 25, e.g., input of azip code, city, county, etc. such that premises apparatus may downloaddata specific to the determined location such as to determine if therequired MOD service(s) require permit(s).

Processor 26 determines permit data associated with the at least onemonitoring service (Block S102). For example, processor 26 determinespermit data associated with the premises and/or premises location wherethe monitoring service is requested. The permit data may include thenumber of permits required for the monitoring service(s), whether one ormore permits are required for the one or more requested monitoringservices, the estimated cost for the permit(s), fines for not acquiringthe permit(s), conditions for acquiring permits, customer data such asaddress/location, premises characteristics, account information, etc.,and/or other information/data. In one or more embodiments, processor 26may determine at least a portion of permit data by requesting the permitdata from permit database 20, facilitator server 16 and/or permitdistributor 18 such that permit data is downloaded to premises apparatus12. Permit data may also include data input by a user via input device25. In one or more embodiments, processor 26 sends one or more userdevices notifications and/or reminder notifications that one or morepermits are required, thereby prompting a user to provide permit dataand/or verify the permit data as discussed below. In one or moreembodiments, process causes display 27 to display a notification and/orreminder notification that one or more permits are required, therebyprompting a user to provide permit data and/or verify the permit data asdiscussed below.

Processor 26 determines if at least one permit is required (Block S104).For example, the permit data indicates whether one or more permits arerequired for the one or more requested monitoring services. If processor26 determines at least one permit is required, processor 26 transmits arequest for at least one permit that is required for activation of theat least one monitoring service (Block S106). In one or moreembodiments, the permit request is transmitted to permit distributor 18via network 14, or via network 14 and facilitator server 16. The permitrequest may include permit data and/or other data for acquiring thepermit(s). For example, the permit data contained in the permit requestmay include a premises address, monitoring service(s) requested,premises characteristics (e.g., building type, etc.), customerinformation, estimated cost, notification information and anyinformation related to the premises system and/or response to an alarm.Further, payment for the costs associated with the one or more permitsmay be obtained via credit card, digital currency, invoice, etc. In oneembodiment, the transmitted request is sent to the user so that the usercan forward the request to the permitting agency or otherwise takeaction to obtain the permit.

After transmitting the request for the at least one permit foractivation of the at least one monitoring service, processor 26activates the at least one monitoring service (Block S108). For example,processor 26 may determine that permits for security and fire monitoringhave been received such that processor initiates activation of one ormore monitoring services related to security and fire monitoring. In oneor more embodiment, if the sensors and/or components are installed forthe one or more monitoring services, the monitoring services areactivated and may begin functioning based on the determination of BlockS108. In one or more embodiments, if the sensors and/or components forperforming the requested monitoring services are not installed, premisesapparatus 12 may at least temporarily delay the activation of therequested monitoring services such as to allow time for installation ofthe required sensors and/or components for the service. In one or moreembodiments, processor 26 initiates the ordering of the componentsand/or sensors needed for the requested monitoring service. In one ormore embodiments, in response to determining the at least one premisessensor and/or component associated with the at least one monitoringservice being requested has not been installed, processor 26 causestransmission of at least one notification to at least one user deviceassociated with the premises apparatus. The notification may indicatethe at least one premises sensor and/or component that need to beinstalled in order to activate the at least one monitoring service. Inone or more embodiments, in response to determining the at least onepremises sensor and/or component associated with the at least onemonitoring service being requested has not been installed, processor 26automatically schedules delivery and/or installation of the at least onepremises sensor and/or component. For example, processor 26 schedulesdelivery of the at least one premises sensor and/or component, forexample, to the premises being monitored by premises apparatus 12.Processor 26 may also schedule installation of the at least one premisessensor and/or component by a service technician.

Referring back to Block S104, if processor 26 determines that the one ormore required permit(s) has not been acquired, processor 26 preforms thefunction(s) of Block S108. In one or more embodiments, processor 26causes one or more icons illustrated on display 27 to indicate that theone or more monitoring services are active and/or not active.

In another embodiment the processor 26 is further configured todetermine a location of the premises apparatus and to compare thedetermined location of the premises apparatus with a location stored bythe premises apparatus 12, such as in memory 28. If the determinedlocation of the premises apparatus 12 does not match with the locationstored in premises apparatus 12, the monitoring service(s) are at leasttemporarily deactivated. This can also trigger a request to determinewhether a permit is required and start the process at block S100. In oneembodiment, the monitoring services are not deactivated, but the processis stared again at block S100 to determine whether a permit is requiredfor the new location. Of note, it is not required that premisesapparatus 12 store its location. It is contemplated that the location ofpremises apparatus 12 can be stored elsewhere, such as in facilitatorserver 16.

Also, in one embodiment, the location of the premises apparatus 12 isdetermined based on at least one of an internet protocol address of thepremises apparatus and global positioning coordinates of the premisesapparatus. Also, a user may also manually input the address, allowingprocessor 26 to determine that the location data has changed. In anotherembodiment, processor 26 is further configured to transmit a request forat least one permit that is required for activation of the at least onemonitoring service at the determined location when the location haschanged. Such a request can be via facilitator server 16 or via theuser. In other words, the request for the at least one permit that isrequired for activation of the at least one monitoring service at thedetermined location is transmitted to one of a customer associated withthe premises apparatus and a jurisdictional entity associated with thedetermined location, via facilitator server 16 in one embodiment. Inanother embodiment, activation of the monitoring services can be delayedif processor 26 determines that premises device 12 has been moved, i.e.,that the determined location does not match the stored location ofpremises device 12.

Another embodiment of an exemplary process of MOD module 30 for managingthe permitting of one or more MOD services of premises apparatus 12 isillustrated in FIG. 3. Processor 26 determines whether a MOD service hasbeen requested (Block S110). In one or more embodiments, premisesapparatus 12 may be a DIY premises system that allows a user todynamically activate one or more MOD services during installation or ata later time during premises apparatus 12 operation. For example, a usermay not initially be interested in one or more MOD services that requireone or more permits such that the premises apparatus 12 initiallyoperates without required permits, i.e., the activated functionalitydoes not require permits. However, later in time, the user may decide toactivate one or more MOD services such as fire alarm monitoring thatrequires a permit. The request to activate one or more MOD services maybe performed via input device 25, via a web browser interface offacilitator server 16 or premises apparatus 12, and/or other methodsthat allow premises apparatus 12 to determine whether the request hasbeen made by the user associated with premises apparatus 12. Forexample, processor 26 determines the user has requested a MOD service,e.g., fire alarm monitoring and/or security alarm monitoring, via inputdevice 25 in which the MOD service requires one or more permits. Varioustechniques for authenticating a user and determining a user'spermissions to use or perform a function are known and are beyond thescope of this disclosure.

In one or more embodiments, premises apparatus 12 downloads data thatdesignates one or more MOD services that require permits for location ofthe premises apparatus 12. For example, premises apparatus 12 maydownload data from facilitator server 16, permit distributor and/orpermit database 20, among other information sources. Premises apparatus12 may determine its location via methods known in the art such asthrough global positioning system (GPS), and/or may determine itslocation based on user inputs via input device 25, e.g., input of a zipcode, city, county, etc. such that premises apparatus may download dataspecific to the determined location such as to determine if the requiredMOD service(s) require permit(s).

If processor 26 determines a MOD service has not been requested,processor 26 repeats the determination of Block S110. In one or moreembodiments, the determination may be repeated periodically,continuously, on demand or based on a predefined schedule. If processor26 determines a MOD service has been requested, processor 26 determinespermit data for the MOD service (Block S112). For example, processor 26determines permit data associated with the premises and/or premiseslocation where the MOD service is requested. The permit data may includethe number of permits required for the MOD service(s), whether one ormore permits are required for the one or more requested MOD services,the estimated cost for the permit(s), fines for not acquiring thepermit(s), conditions for acquiring permits, customer data such asaddress/location, premises characteristics, account information, etc.,and/or other information/data. In one or more embodiments, processor 26may determine at least a portion of permit data by requesting the permitdata from permit database 20, facilitator server 16 and/or permitdistributor 18 such that permit data is downloaded to premises apparatus12. Permit data may also include data input by a user via input device25. In one or more embodiments, processor 26 sends one or more userdevices notifications and/or reminder notifications that one or morepermits are required, thereby prompting a user to provide permit dataand/or verify the permit data as discussed below. In one or moreembodiments, process causes display 27 to display a notification and/orreminder notification that one or more permits are required, therebyprompting a user to provide permit data and/or verify the permit data asdiscussed below.

Processor 26 determines whether at least one permit is required for therequested MOD service(s) based on the permit data (Block S114). Forexample, the permit data indicates whether one or more permits arerequired for the one or more requested MOD services. If processor 26determines at least one permit is required, processor 26 causes at leasta portion of the permit data to be displayed by display 27 (Block S116).For example, the at least the portion of permit data that is displayedmay include the estimated cost/fee(s) for the required permits for theMOD service(s), estimated fine cost for failing to acquire permitsand/or other data. Processor 26 determines whether the permit data hasbeen accepted (Block S118). In one or more embodiments, thedetermination of whether the permit data has been accepted is based onone or more inputs received from a user via input device 25. Forexample, a user may use input device 25 such as a keyboard ortouchscreen to indicate that the user accepts the estimated cost thatwere displayed during Block S116. If processor 26 determines the permitdata has not been accepted, processor 26 ends the processor of FIG. 3.In one or more embodiments, the requested MOD services are not activatedor operational for premises apparatus 12 if processor 26 determines thepermit data was not accepted.

However, if processor 26 determines that the permit data has beenaccepted, processor 26 causes a permit request to be transmitted (BlockS120). In one or more embodiments, the permit request is transmitted topermit distributor 18 via network 14, or via network 14 and facilitatorserver 16. The permit request may include permit data and/or other datafor acquiring the permit(s). For example, the permit data contained inthe permit request may include a premises address, MOD service(s)requested, premises characteristics (e.g., building type, etc.),customer information, estimated cost, notification information and anyinformation related to the premises system and/or response to an alarm.Further, payment for the costs associated with the one or more permitsmay be obtained via credit card, digital currency, invoice, etc.

Processor 26 determines whether a permit has been issued (Block S122).In one or more embodiments, processor 26 may request an update fromfacilitator server 16 and/or permit database as to whether the requestedpermit(s) associated with the premises have been issued. In one or moreembodiments, premises apparatus 12 is updated periodically as to issuedpermits associated with the premises or may be updated when a new permitis issued. As will be discussed below with reference to FIG. 4, a recordof acquired permits may be stored in permit database 20. If processor 26determines the one or more requested permits haves not been issued,processor 26 repeats the determination of Block S122. In one or moreembodiments, the determination may be repeated periodically,continuously or based on a predefined schedule. In one or moreembodiments, the requested one or more MOD services optionally remaindeactivated until processor 26 determines one or more permits for therequested MOD service have issued. In one or more embodiments, thedetermination of Block S122 may determine if a permit was denied inwhich case processor 26 causes the process for managing the permittingof one or more MOD services of premises apparatus 12 to end, and maynotify one or more users and/or facilitator server 16 of the deniedpermit.

In one optional embodiment, if processor 26 determines that therequested one or more permits have been issued, processor 26 initiatesactivation of the one or more MOD services associated with the issuedpermits (Block S124). For example, processor 26 may determine thatpermits for security and fire monitoring have been received such thatprocessor initiates activation of one or more MOD services related tosecurity and fire monitoring. In one or more embodiment, if the sensorsand/or components are installed for the one or more MOD services, theMOD services are activated and may begin functioning based on thedetermination of Block S124. In one or more embodiments, if the sensorsand/or components for performing the requested MOD services are notinstalled, premises apparatus 12 may initiate the requested MOD servicesupon installation of the required sensors and/or components for theservice. For example, in response to determining the at least onepremises sensor and/or component associated with the at least one MODservice being requested has been installed, processor 26 initiatesactivation of the at least one MOD service. In one or more embodiments,processor 26 initiates the ordering of the components and/or sensorsneeded for the requested MOD service. Further, in one or moreembodiments, in response to determining the at least one premises sensorand/or component associated with the at least one MOD service beingrequested has not been installed, processor 26 inhibits the activationof the at least one MOD service such as at least until the at least onepremises sensor and/or component has been installed. In one or moreembodiments, in response to determining the at least one premises sensorand/or component associated with the at least one MOD service beingrequested has not been installed, processor 26 causes transmission of atleast one notification to at least one user device associated with thepremises apparatus. The notification may indicate the at least onepremises sensor and/or component that need to be installed in order toactivate the at least one MOD service. In one or more embodiments, inresponse to determining the at least one premises sensor and/orcomponent associated with the at least one MOD service being requestedhas not been installed, processor 26 automatically schedules deliveryand/or installation of the at least one premises sensor and/orcomponent. For example, processor 26 schedules delivery of the at leastone premises sensor and/or component, for example, to the premises beingmonitored by premises apparatus 12. Processor 26 may also scheduleinstallation of the at least one premises sensor and/or component by aservice technician.

In an alternative embodiment, processor 26 may periodically perform onlyBlock S122 for premises apparatus 12, thereby allowing premisesapparatus 12 to discover newly issued permits and/or expired permitsthat require renewal. In another alternative embodiment, Block S122 andS124 may be skipped or omitted from the process of FIG. 3 based ondesign need. If processor 26 determines that the one or more requiredpermit(s) has not been acquired, processor 26 may repeat thedetermination of Block S122. In one or more embodiments, processor 26causes one or more icons illustrated on display 27 to indicate that theone or more MOD services are not active. Referring back to Block S114,if processor 26 determines no permit(s) are required for the one or moreMOD services based on permit data, processor 26 initiates activation ofthe one or more MOD services as described above in Block S124.

An exemplary permit acquisition process of acquisition module 40 isillustrated in FIG. 4. Processor 36 determines whether a permit requestmessage has been received (Block S126). In one or more embodiments,processor 36 determines whether a permit request message has beenreceived from premises apparatus 12. The permit request may includepermit data and/or other data as discussed above in FIG. 3. If processor36 determines that a permit request has not been received, processor 36repeats the determination of Block S126. For example, processor 36 mayrepeat the determination of Block S126 periodically, continuously orbased on a predefined schedule.

If processor 36 determines a permit request has been received, processor36 determines premises data (Block S128). In one or more embodiments,processor 36 determines premises data based on the permit data and/orother data in the permit request. For example, the permit data in thepermit request may include customer information, premisescharacteristics such as location and other information needed to acquireone or more MOD permits in which the determined premises data is basedon the received permit data. Determined premises data may includecustomer information, premises characteristics, notification informationand/or other information.

Processor 36 causes transmission of the premises data (Block S130). Forexample, processor 36 cause at least a portion of the determinedpremises data to be transmitted to permit distributor 18 in order toacquire the one or more requested permits. Processor 36 determineswhether the one or more of the requested permits have been issued (BlockS132). In one or more embodiments, processor 36 requests one or moreupdates from permit distributor 18 and/or permit database as to whetherone or more of the requested permits have been issued. In one or morealternative embodiments, facilitator server 16 is notified of an issuedpermit. For example, facilitator server 16 may be notified of newpermits issued by permit distributor 18. In one embodiment thenotification is in the form of an electronic message. If processor 36determines that the one or more requested permits have not been issued,processor 36 repeats the determination of Block S132. In one or morealternative embodiments, if processor 36 determines that the one or morerequested permits have been denied, processor 36 may notify one or morepersons associated with the premises via premises apparatus 12. Ifprocessor 36 determines that the one or more requested permits haveissued, processor 36 transmits permit data to premises apparatus (BlockS134). In one or more embodiments, the permit data indicates the one ormore requested permits have been issued or acquired.

An alternative process of MOD module 30 for management the permitting ofone or more MOD services is illustrated in FIG. 5. Blocks S110-S118 andS122-S124 as discussed above with respect to FIG. 3. Referring to BlockS118, if the permit data is accepted, processor 26 causes a notificationto complete a permit application to be transmitted to one or more userassociated with the premises (Block S136). In other words, the customeris ultimately responsible for submitting the permit application topermit distributor 18 such that premises apparatus 18 does not transmitthe request for a permit to permit distributor 18. In one or moreembodiments, processor 26 generates an electronic version of the permitapplication so that the customer can submit the applicationelectronically, or can print the electronic application for physicalsubmission in person or via mail.

An alternative permit acquisition process of acquisition module 40 isillustrated in FIG. 6. Blocks S126-S132 are discussed above with respectto FIG. 4. Processor 36 determines whether the one or more of therequested permits have been issued as discussed above with respect toBlock S132. However, if processor 36 determines that the one or morerequested permits have not been issued, processor 36 causes a remindermessage to be transmitted (Block S138). In one or more embodiments,processor 36 causes a reminder message to be transmitted to one or moreuser devices, e.g., mobile phone, tablets, desktop, etc., and/or one ormore electronic accounts, e.g., email, profiles, etc., associated withthe premises. Processor 36 then repeats the determination of Block S138.If processor 36 determines the one or more requested permits have beenissued, processor 36 ends the permit acquisition process. In otherwords, facilitator server 16 reminds the user to submit one or morepermit applications if the requested permits have not been issued.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the conceptsdescribed herein may be embodied as a method, data processing system,and/or computer program product. Accordingly, the concepts describedherein may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirelysoftware embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardwareaspects all generally referred to herein as a “circuit” or “module.”Furthermore, the disclosure may take the form of a computer programproduct on a tangible computer usable storage medium having computerprogram code embodied in the medium that can be executed by a computer.Any suitable tangible computer readable medium may be utilized includinghard disks, CD-ROMs, electronic storage devices, optical storagedevices, or magnetic storage devices.

Some embodiments are described herein with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, systems and computerprogram products. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer (to therebyform a special purpose computer), special purpose computer, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer orother programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable memory or storage medium that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It is to be understood that the functions/acts noted in the blocks mayoccur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. Forexample, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executedsubstantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.Although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths toshow a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood thatcommunication may occur in the opposite direction to the depictedarrows.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the conceptsdescribed herein may be written in an object oriented programminglanguage such as Java® or C++. However, the computer program code forcarrying out operations of the disclosure may also be written inconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer. In the latter scenario, theremote computer may be connected to the user's computer through a localarea network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection maybe made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet usingan Internet Service Provider).

Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connectionwith the above description and the drawings. It will be understood thatit would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe andillustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments.Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/orcombination, and the present specification, including the drawings,shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of allcombinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein,and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shallsupport claims to any such combination or subcombination.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited to what has been particularly shown anddescribed herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above tothe contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawingsare not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teachings without departing from the scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A premises apparatus, comprising: a processor,the processor configured to: determine that at least one monitoringservice is being requested for activation; determine permit dataassociated with the at least one monitoring service; if the determinedpermit data indicates at least one permit is required for the at leastone monitoring service: transmit a request for at least one permit thatis required for activation of the at least one monitoring service; andafter transmitting the request for the at least one permit foractivation of the at least one monitoring service, activate the at leastone monitoring service.
 2. The premises apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe processor is further configured to: cause at least a portion of thedetermined permit data to be displayed for acceptance by a user;determine whether a user has accepted the determined permit data; andthe transmitting of the request for the at least one permit being inresponse to determining that the user has accepted the determined permitdata.
 3. The premises apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to determine a location of the premises apparatus. 4.The premises apparatus of claim 3, wherein the determined location ofthe premises apparatus is determined based on one of an internetprotocol address of the premises apparatus and global positioningcoordinates of the premises apparatus.
 5. The premises apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit arequest for at least one permit that is required for activation of theat least one monitoring service at the determined location.
 6. Thepremises apparatus of claim 5, wherein the request for the at least onepermit that is required for activation of the at least one monitoringservice at the determined location is transmitted to one of a customerassociated with the premises apparatus and a jurisdictional entityassociated with the determined location.
 7. The premises apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one monitoring service includes at leastone of fire alarm monitoring service and security alarm monitoringservice.
 8. The premises apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: determine whether at least one premises sensorhas been installed, the at least one premises sensor being associatedwith the at least one monitoring service being requested; in response todetermining the at least one premises sensor associated with the atleast one monitoring service has not been installed, at least delay theactivation of the at least one monitoring service.
 9. The premisesapparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: inresponse to determining the at least one premises sensor associated withthe at least one monitoring service has not been installed, causetransmission of at least one notification to at least one user deviceassociated with the premises apparatus, the notification indicating theat least one premises sensor that needs to be installed for activationof the at least one monitoring service.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9,wherein the at least one premises sensor is at least one life safetysensor including at least one of a motion sensor, fire sensor, carbonmonoxide sensor, flooding sensor and contact sensor.
 11. A method,comprising: determining that at least one monitoring service is beingrequested for activation; determining permit data associated with the atleast one monitoring service; if the determined permit data indicates atleast one permit is required for the at least one monitoring service:transmitting a request for at least one permit that is required foractivation of the at least one monitoring service; and aftertransmitting the request for the at least one permit for activation ofthe at least one monitoring service, activating the at least onemonitoring service.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:causing at least a portion of the determined permit data to be displayedfor acceptance by a user; determining whether a user has accepted thedetermined permit data; and the transmitting of the request for the atleast one permit being in response to determining that the user hasaccepted the determined permit data.
 13. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising determining a location of a premises apparatus.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the determined location of the premisesapparatus is determined based on one of an internet protocol address ofthe premises apparatus and global positioning coordinates of thepremises apparatus.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprisingtransmitting a request for at least one permit that is required foractivation of the at least one monitoring service at the determinedlocation.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the request for the atleast one permit that is required for activation of the at least onemonitoring service at the determined location is transmitted to one of acustomer associated with the premises apparatus and a jurisdictionalentity associated with the determined location.
 17. The method of claim11, wherein the at least one monitoring service includes at least one offire alarm monitoring service and security alarm monitoring service. 18.The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining whether at leastone premises sensor has been installed, the at least one premises sensorbeing associated with the at least one monitoring service beingrequested; in response to determining the at least one premises sensorassociated with the at least one monitoring service has not beeninstalled, at least delaying the activation of the at least onemonitoring service.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: inresponse to determining the at least one premises sensor associated withthe at least one monitoring service has not been installed, causingtransmission of at least one notification to at least one user deviceassociated with the premises apparatus, the notification indicating theat least one premises sensor that needs to be installed for activationof the at least one monitoring service.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein the at least one premises sensor is at least one life safetysensor including at least one of a motion sensor, fire sensor, carbonmonoxide sensor, flooding sensor and contact sensor.